


And So We Burn

by sleepyfox



Series: Souls on Fire [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Haruno Sakura, BDY - Big Dick Yamato, Consent is Sexy, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 as Family (Naruto), Everybody Lives, F/M, Haruno Sakura is So Done, Haruno Sakura-centric, M/M, Multi, No Uchiha Massacre, Polyamory, Sakura has a potty mouth, Sex Positive, Sharing a Bed, Threesome - F/M/M, Uchiha Shisui Lives, aro/ace Sai, cuddle piles, everybody's a flirt, uchiha shisui-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-19 07:33:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyfox/pseuds/sleepyfox
Summary: Shisui isn't surprised to see little Cherry-chan all grown up with a take no shit attitude, but heissurprised by how much he likes it. Turns out, she's just his type.“Another Uchiha, Blossom? You seem to have a thing for guys with the Sharingan."
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Sai & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Shisui, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Shisui, Haruno Sakura/Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Souls on Fire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2210349
Comments: 78
Kudos: 256





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshot, but then it became a twoshot, and then I said fuck it and made it four chapters instead. This was also supposed to just be ShiSaku, but Kakashi decided he wanted in on the action, and I'm not gonna say no to that, so now it's KakaSakuShi. Because reasons. I don't make the rules.
> 
> No smut in this chapter, but there will be a smushening. Later. Promise.
> 
> Big thanks to J and Al (go, Team Angst!) for their support and expertise with this fic as I've been writing it. You two are awesome.

The summons came right as Shisui sat down to eat dinner. He looked longingly at his plate and sighed, shoveling as much as he could in his mouth before the phone blinked angrily at him again. The screen lit for just a moment, but it was long enough for him to see a message from Hokage Tower with a crow emoji. ANBU then. Another blink and he put his dishes in the sink and shunshined to his bedroom to put on his ANBU uniform. Crow mask firmly on his face, he pushed open his bedroom window and slipped out, closing it behind him. Once secure, he shunshined to Hokage Tower.

Shisui entered the Hokage’s office and was quickly joined by two other ANBU, the familiar masks causing him to raise his eyebrows. He wasn’t often paired with Cat or Tanuki, but the three of them together formed an interesting team, to say the least. All veterans, all ANBU captains, specializing in assassination and espionage. An odd match up, given the fact that Konoha was not currently at war.

The Yondaime sat behind his desk, a tired expression on his otherwise youthful face. “Your fourth should be here soon,” he began as he tossed them each a small scroll. “It’s a simple escort mission, but the client is asking for the best of the best and is willing to pay for it.”

Eyebrows raised to his hairline, Shisui unrolled the scroll and read through it, the excitement from before fizzling out completely by the time he reached the end. He lifted his head and didn’t even get the chance to open his mouth before the Yondaime started speaking again.

“I know, it’s not worth the S-class rank, but we could use the money.” Namikaze Minato looked truly apologetic, lifting a shoulder in a helpless shrug. “Think of it as a paid vacation.” He paused, cutting his gaze over to look at Tanuki. “That doesn’t mean you can goof off though.”

Tanuki pressed a hand to his chest like he was offended, but Shisui didn’t need his Sharingan to know the man was smirking.

“Crow, Cat. Keep an eye on him.”

“Damn,” Cat muttered under his breath, shoulders slumped. Shisui bit his lip to keep his laughter from escaping.

“So who are we escorting?” Tanuki asked, spinning a senbon between his fingers.

The Yondaime gave the group a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ahh… Well, since the client is demanding the best, you’ll be escorting our hospital director.”

Shisui had fond memories of tagging along with Itachi whenever he went to bother his little brother while he trained with his team. At the time, Haruno Sakura had had a very obvious crush on Sasuke, but he hadn’t been blind to the way she had come to blush every time he used the nickname he gave her. He wondered how she would react if he tried calling her Cherry-chan now. Just for fun, he had allowed Hatake Kakashi rope him into training with them with a game of tag, and Uzumaki Naruto had been especially insistent that he would catch the Uchiha someday. He never did.

To say she had grown up was an understatement. He had never been paired with her in a team, given their age differences and her strong attachment to Team 7, but he knew enough about her just from listening to Itachi talk about his little brother and his team. Haruno Sakura was brilliant, powerful, efficient, and the youngest to ever take the position of hospital director. Her cotton candy pink hair and pretty face made her look young and innocent, but he had seen firsthand her famous temper, most often aimed at the Yondaime’s own son. At twenty-three, she had been director for three years, and assistant director for two before that. The day her promotion had been announced, Shisui had been on a mission, but he had stopped by the Yamanaka flower shop the first day back and sent her a bouquet in congratulations. It was a pity he hadn't been able to hand them to her himself, but Sasuke had grudgingly admitted that she had received them and that they were appreciated.

Tanuki paused in twirling his senbon and began to laugh. Cat shifted uncomfortably but didn’t say anything. “Pinky? She’s going to be pissed.” Shisui questioned the man’s sanity when he realized that Tanuki actually seemed to be pleased by this.

Minato sighed, shoulders slumped as he leaned back in his chair. “I know.”

“I bet fifty ryo she’ll try to refuse the mission,” Tanuki continued, sounding absolutely gleeful.

“She wouldn’t do that,” Cat protested, sounding more hesitant than his words implied.

Shisui watched with interest as Tanuki bullied Cat into the bet, shaking on it, just as the doors opened and the hospital director herself stalked in, brows furrowed in irritation. Her lab coat billowed behind her and she ignored the assembled ANBU to stand before the Hokage, an expectant look on her face as she held out her hand for the scroll. She snapped it open and began to read, her expression turning more and more incredulous as she went on.

The scroll snapped closed and she tossed it back to the Yondaime, who caught it with a sigh. “No. I can’t fix stupid.”

Shisui wanted to laugh at her flat denial but managed to keep it in. Tanuki held out his hand toward Cat, who grudgingly dug coins out of his pocket and slapped them into Tanuki’s palm. Sakura’s jade eyes flicked over to regard them but she didn’t comment, returning her gaze to Minato.

“Sacchan, I know it’s not ideal, but the client is willing to pay an exorbitant amount.” Minato’s blue eyes were pleading, and Shisui watched with interest as Sakura’s expression soured further. He hadn’t realized that she was familiar enough with the Yondaime to warrant such a nickname, but it did make sense given the fact that she had been on the same genin team as his son. It didn’t seem to endear him to her just then, though. Shisui was glad of his mask, because otherwise the Yondaime would see his amused smile.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. “I want access to all of your fuinjutsu scrolls. _All of them._ ”

Minato straightened in his chair and lifted his brows. “You’re working on something with fuinjutsu?”

“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate, and tapped her foot expectantly.

A soft laugh escaped him and Minato smiled, shoulders finally relaxing. “You have it, then. And I’ll want to be kept in the loop regarding your research.”

Apparently satisfied, she nodded once and caught the scroll he tossed back at her. Shisui watched with growing interest as she slipped it into one of the deep pockets of her lab coat and spun on her heel, a steely light in her eyes. She looked at the three assembled ANBU in turn, nodding. Tanuki gave her a cheeky salute and she rolled her eyes in response. Her expression warmed when she saw Cat, and Shisui was amused to see her gaze fall on him with raised brows and a spark of recognition.

“Uchiha.” Jade green eyes glittered with interest and then she was toe to toe with him, one hand on his shoulder and he felt her chakra rush over him like a brush of silk. He suppressed a shiver at the barely there touch, but couldn’t stop the sharp intake of breath when her chakra paused at his ribs and she scowled. “Who healed your ribs, Crow?”

“Ahh… I’m not sure?” Shisui fought to keep still as her chakra smoothed over the bone and with a tiny shift, healed it. He hadn’t realized it had healed improperly, but that was probably why his chest had been so achy… As soon as that was done, her chakra flowed over his eyes and it was harder to avoid his flinch. Only clan doctors had touched his eyes before, but he vaguely remembered hearing his cousin Sasuke say that he saw his old teammate instead. That alone spoke of his trust in her, and Shisui was more intrigued than alarmed when she followed his chakra pathways without hesitation, soothing the ache he hadn’t even realized was there. No wonder Sasuke preferred her as his medic.

Sakura clicked her tongue in distaste, her chakra finally pulling away as she nodded in approval. “Whoever healed you missed a stress fracture. Next time, you come to me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He couldn’t stop his smile from coloring his words, growing more and more intrigued by the pink haired spitfire of a medic. Cat and Tanuki clearly knew her well, and Shisui was beginning to think that losing touch with her had been a mistake. This was the closest he’d been to her in over a decade, and while he had seen her around the village, brief glimpses were nothing compared to seeing her up close. She had grown up, and her skill as a medic was every bit as impressive as his cousin had alluded to. In the most indirect way possible, of course, because while Sasuke clearly respected her, he was still _Sasuke._

“Where’s my physical, Pinky?” Tanuki teased, spreading his arms in invitation.

Sakura raised her eyes heavenward, hand falling from his shoulder to rest at her side. “I healed you two days ago. If you’ve managed to strain something between then and now, it’s your own damn fault and you’ll just have to suffer through, Jiji.”

“So cruel.” Tanuki didn’t seem at all bothered by her response, if anything, Shisui thought the man had expected it.

“You’ll have to tell Naruto I’ll be missing our ramen date, Hokage-sama. If Kakashi and Sasuke come back from their mission before I get back, make sure they don’t bleed all over my floor,” Sakura called over her shoulder as she strode toward the door again. “ANBU, we leave in twenty minutes. Meet me at the gates.”

The door closed behind her and Shisui stared after her for a good ten seconds before he turned back to see the Yondaime looking at the door with an amused smile on his face. “Cat, Tanuki, Crow. Take care of our director, would you?” There was real affection in Minato’s voice as he spoke, and his smile turned wry as he added, “Not that she actually needs it.”

It had definitely been an oversight on his part to not continue pestering his cousin’s team over the years. This mission was looking more interesting by the minute.

* * *

Sakura sealed what supplies she could in a scroll and slipped it into her pack on top of two sets of clothes and her usual go-kit. The chances of her needing any poisons or weapons at all were slim, especially with her ANBU escort, but she hated going without. Not that she really needed a weapon when she had her fists. She was an iryo-nin before she was hospital director, dammit. Maybe she could convince one of her escorts to spar with her. Genma was usually game, and Yamato could probably be convinced. The outlier was the Uchiha, and she was admittedly more interested in a spar with him just because she had never seen him fight before. Not all out, at any rate. Chasing him around training ground three did not count as a proper fight.

She had heard stories, of course, of Shunshin no Shisui, and her brief diagnostic scan had revealed that he had the Mangekyo Sharingan, and had had it for a long time if the damage to his chakra pathways was any indication. She frowned, making a mental note to sit down with him so she could look over him properly. Whoever had been maintaining his kekkei genkai hadn’t done much to reduce the swelling that came with using the Mangekyo, and he had to be in some pain whenever he used it.

Sakura clicked her tongue in disgust. Clan experts, her ass. Her own research and work with Sasuke and Kakashi had shown just how much more complex the dojutsu made their chakra pathways, Kakashi’s more so because it had been a transplant. She was even getting closer to convincing Itachi to let her look at his, and she was positively itching to see if she could correct at least some of his failing eyesight. Sasuke had only admitted his older brother’s trouble after she had plied him with alcohol, but once sober, he had agreed to present the idea anyway. If she could get Shisui to agree, too…

A pleased smile spread across her face as she shouldered her pack and scribbled a quick note to leave on the table in case anyone stopped by looking for her.

The fact that Shisui had let her get so close to him and heal him without protest said a lot, and she wondered if he remembered teasing her when she was a genin. Most Uchiha were overly proud and prickly, but Shisui was unusual with his easygoing nature and teasing smile. Obito was another unusual personality within the clan, reminding her of Naruto more often than not, but she hadn’t yet convinced him to look at his eye. Nohara Rin was his personal medic and wife, so she didn’t feel the need to encroach. She would have to compare notes with the other medic though, and she made another mental note to do so once her mission was complete.

Satisfied that she had what she needed, Sakura locked the front door and jumped into the trees surrounding her home, her boots hitting the thick boughs without a sound as she ran toward the gates. As she drew closer, she could already sense her escort in place and fought back a smile. She hadn’t worked with Yamato or Genma in a while, and she was looking forward to it, as well as perhaps finally getting to know Shisui as a peer instead of a genin he liked to tease.

A few minutes before the twenty minute mark, she dropped down to the street and sauntered over to the group, all three of the ANBU watching her approach. “We’ll head to the Fire Daimyo’s summer estate and I’ll see what the idiot nephew did this time.” She didn’t bother schooling her expression, allowing her distaste to clearly show through. This wasn’t the first time the Fire Daimyo’s nephew had insisted on her taking care of him, but she always hoped it would be the last. The man was infuriating, and the only reason she hadn’t turned his organs into goo was because of the political disaster it would bring on Minato’s head. She couldn’t make any promises that this time wouldn’t be different if his hand found its way on her ass again, though.

“How long will it take, Pinky?” Tanuki asked just as she came within hearing range.

She ignored the stupid nickname he insisted on calling her and walked past them and out the gates, lifting a hand to wave at the guards. “Depends on the extent of the damage. It could be anywhere from three to seven days.” From the lack of detail and request for speed, she guessed that whatever had happened, either his face or genitalia had suffered the damage, and it had been his own damn fault. If this was another bogus mission just to make her touch his junk, no one could blame her for making the idiot a eunuch.

That said, she hoped to be done as soon as possible. Kakashi and Sasuke weren’t due back from their mission in Kumo for another week, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for them to return sooner. Their mission was A-rank, but the chance of them returning injured was relatively low. That said, she wouldn’t put it past either of them to ignore the hospital even if they desperately needed medical attention and just wait for her to return like a pair of stubborn morons.

At least she could count on Naruto checking her house once he sensed Sasuke back in the village, so he would send her a message if they really did need help. Sai could also be trusted to keep her informed.

Her worry for their well-being was only part of it, though. They had been gone a month already, and she missed them. Especially Kakashi.

The three ANBU stepped into a loose formation around her, Crow taking point and with Tanuki and Cat on either side of her. She wasn’t about to complain about the arrangement, it afforded her the perfect opportunity to see a very fine Uchiha ass in motion.

“Glad you stopped worrying, Blossom,” Tanuki said conversationally.

“You worried about the mission?” Crow asked, tilting his head enough so she could see the flash of red from his Sharingan through the eye holes of his mask.

Tanuki laughed. “Nah, she’s just worried about her boys.” He laughed harder when she threw a stick at his head, only mildly satisfied when he had to duck to avoid it. He didn’t need to say she was particularly worried about one of said “boys,” it was enough to know that he was thinking it.

“Her team,” Cat said helpfully when it looked like Crow was going to ask for more clarification.

“Hound and Hawk refuse to go to the hospital like _sensible_ people,” she groused. Naruto and Sai could listen to sense, although Naruto didn’t often need healing at all because of the kyuubi. Yamato was also a reasonable sort, and she smiled. “At least Cat is smart enough to not make a mess on my floors when there’s a hospital available.”

“Thank you?”

She could feel his eyes on her more than see them because of his mask, and her smile turned into an affectionate grin. It was enough confirmation for him to realize she was being serious, and she heard a soft laugh escape him as he faced front again. “And don’t talk like you're any better, Tanuki.”

“Hey, I don’t always go to you. Not my fault your place is closer to the gates than the hospital, Sacchan.”

Sakura scowled and pushed more chakra to her legs so she could launch herself at him and give him a good jab in the ribs with her elbow. It was only hard enough to bruise, but she was tempted to add chakra to her next strike when he just laughed in response.

“Only Hokage-sama calls me Sacchan. He’s like a father to me, and you’re not.”

She didn’t have to see his face to know that he was waggling his brows at her. “I might not be your father, but I could be your daddy.”

“Would you quit it with the daddy thing?” Sakura growled and chased after Tanuki, catching him relatively quickly and managed to trip him so he fell off the tree branch he had just landed on. He caught himself several branches down, giving her a cheeky salute before they resumed formation.

Crow barely managed to contain his surprised bark of laughter, and Cat sighed, shaking his head, too used to Tanuki’s antics to react more strongly. “I’m not going to stop her if she decides to kill you, Tanuki.”

“Some friend you are,” Tanuki said, not sounding too bothered despite his words. “What about you, Crow? You going to defend my honor?”

“What honor?” Crow flipped over a branch, angling his body so he could see behind him for a moment before landing on the next limb. The movement was surprisingly graceful, and she suspected he was grinning behind his mask. Sakura noted that the tomoe of the Sharingan were spinning lazily, and that he hadn’t activated the Mangekyo. Good, she thought with satisfaction. The Mangekyo would just be a waste of chakra.

Tanuki laughed, no more offended by Crow’s teasing than he had been by Sakura’s words. “Cheeky brat.”

“He knows you well, Jiji,” Sakura said with a grin. She could still see glimpses of the boy he had been as they ran on, although now he was very much a man. It wasn’t fair how his ANBU pants hugged his ass in a way that was more than a little distracting.

The rest of the trip was spent throwing insults back and forth, most more lighthearted than not, and Sakura felt herself relaxing further. Even Cat had a few barbs to throw out, and Crow’s teasing voice made her laugh even more. She had forgotten how funny he could be.

She wasn’t worried about the mission objective. It would probably be a relatively simple medical procedure, only made more difficult by the fact that the client was a civilian and she couldn’t rely on his chakra to help her heal, and the fact that the client was a total moron.

She almost wished the journey could have lasted longer when they arrived at the gates to the Fire Daimyo’s summer estate. Sakura took point, her fingers brushing over Crow’s shoulder in silent thanks as she stepped past him. The gate guards looked haughtily down at them, and Sakura fought back a feral grin of her own. They were civilian soldiers, not shinobi, and absolutely no threat but there was no point in shoving their noses in it.

Yet.

“Speak your business, kunoichi!”

Tanuki made a soft sound of amusement from behind her, too quiet for the guards to hear. Sakura ignored him as she lifted her chin and held up the scroll that had been sent to the Yondaime from the Fire Daimyo himself. “Haruno Sakura, director of Konoha General Hospital, and three ANBU escorts to see Murakami Funuke-sama.”

The guards frowned down at them, but the Fire Daimyo’s seal on the scroll was enough to convince them. The gate opened slowly, and Sakura was polite enough to wait for it to open completely before she started forward. Not that an iron gate could have stopped her if she really wanted to come inside. She never understood why the Daimyo relied on a civilian army to defend his estate when a genin could break in. Once the gate was open, she kept her eyes forward and ignored the guards entirely, biting the inside of her cheek when she saw their displeasure. Just to rub it in, she poured chakra into her legs and leaped into the trees that lined the road leading directly to the palace.

The ANBU were right behind her, and she could hear Crow’s quiet laughter as he caught up with her to run by her side. “Since we haven’t worked together before, is there anything I should know?”

Sakura smiled, oddly touched that he even thought to ask. “You three are just here to look pretty and dangerous, I’m afraid.” She cast her gaze over to him, her smile growing when she saw that he was watching her too. “Don’t interrupt me during surgery unless it’s an emergency, and don’t take offense if I snap at you later.”

“Hey, you’ve never told me not to take offense,” Tanuki called, apparently eavesdropping from behind her.

“Because I always mean to offend you,” she shot back without heat, her smile turning into a grin when Crow laughed.

“I’m honored then, taichou.” Crow made a graceful arc with his hand to show deference and she was oddly charmed by it.

The manor appeared through the trees and she slowed her approach, dropping down to the road again just as the doors flew open and a small army of servants came out to greet them. “It’s Sakura, Crow. Just Sakura.”

Crow inclined his head, a half step behind her. “I dunno, I think I prefer Cherry-chan.”

So he _did_ remember. She fought not to blush as she stepped forward to greet a very harried Lord Murakami. Damned charming Uchiha.

* * *

It was exactly as she had feared. Murakami Funuke had consumed a number of substances, and had hallucinated something idiotic that caused him to think setting fire to his pants was a good idea. Most of the damage was minor since he wore so many layers of clothing and his pain receptors had taken a bit longer than they should have before screaming, but there would still be some scarring in rather unfortunate places. This, of course, was unacceptable for the young lord, and Sakura fought not to roll her eyes at his horrified expression.

“Sakura-hime, I can’t possibly have scarring _there,_ ” he cried.

The vein in her temple twitched at the name, something he had started calling her the moment he met her despite her repeated requests for him to call her Haruno. The man had selective hearing, and she was sorely tempted to render him mute by tampering with his vocal cords. His voice was annoying anyway, she’d be saving everyone the pain of having to listen to him. The damn fool was several years older than her, but continued to act like a teenager with drugs and alcohol, throwing tantrums when he didn’t get everything he wanted. She supposed it had only been a matter of time before an accident like this happened, but she really wished he hadn’t known her name beforehand, because this was not the sort of thing she wanted to deal with. A shinobi with a burned cock from an enemy jutsu? Sure, she’d fix that no problem. This? Hell no. He deserved it if it fell off.

“The scarring will be very minor,” she reminded him, forcing herself to sound more patient than she really was. True, there would be a patch along the shaft that would have an uneven texture due to the third degree burn, but his civilian chakra pathways gave her little to work with to encourage rapid cell growth. So long as he kept up with the treatment she had prescribed, he would not lose any skin elasticity and would only lose minimal feeling in the areas with the worst burns. It really wasn’t that bad, and she had no idea why the Daimyo’s brother was acting like it would be the end of the world.

Murakami ushered her out of the room and she followed with a sense of impending doom as the door to Funuke’s room closed behind her. Her three ANBU escorts pretended they were deaf and blind, but she knew that they were listening carefully. Luckily, civilian lords often saw guards as no better than servants and often forgot they were even there.

“Sakura-hime-”

“ _Haruno_ ,” she ground out, eyes flashing with irritation.

Murakami blushed and wrung his hands, shooting a look at the door before he moved to place his hands on her arms. Sakura took a swift step back and out of reach before she snapped his wrists. Why the man thought he had the right to touch her was beyond her, and she really wished he would learn.

“Haruno-san then,” he said, hands flitting ineffectually in front of him now that she was out of reach. “You say the scarring will be minimal, but he is my heir, he cannot have scarring in such a delicate place. And...you’re _sure_ it won’t affect his ability to sire children?”

A muscle in her jaw twitched and she saw Tanuki shift slightly as he fought not to laugh. “The scrotum was not burned, so he will be fine after a recovery period.”

The pubic hair around the burn would never return though, and she was debating whether she should even mention it. For all she knew, that would be yet another thing she had to fix. Not that she could. “I promise you, Murakami-sama, the scarring won’t damage his ability to sire children in the future.” His drug use certainly could, but she wasn’t about to say that out loud when Murakami was clearly very heavily in denial.

“But the _scars_ -”

“Are inevitable, given the fact that his genitalia were on fire for a short period of time. They will not inhibit function once he is fully healed, so long as he does _exactly_ as I say while he recovers.”

“Surely you don’t mean to _leave_ before he’s healed-”

Sakura’s glare was ruthless enough to cut him off, and the man had the sense to take a tiny step backward, his shoulders hunching protectively around his neck. “I am the director of Konoha General Hospital and have a staff of hundreds to oversee, and shinobi to heal after they are injured while completing missions that keep this nation safe,” she said in a clipped tone, straightening so she stood at her full height. She was still shorter than Murakami, but the fierceness in her gaze was enough to make him cower. “A third degree burn on your son’s penis is not going to keep me from returning to my hospital as soon as possible.”

“But what of complications-”

“Complications will only arise if he doesn’t follow my instructions. Is he incapable of following instructions?” She lifted a brow, daring him to contradict her even though she knew for a fact that the idiot was very much incapable of following instructions and would probably destroy his cock in the process. She rather hoped he did, because if anyone should be rendered infertile it would be him.

Murakami drew himself up and Sakura fought not to growl at him. “I really must insist, Haruno-san. This is a very delicate matter, and I couldn’t live with myself if something happened.”

Sakura gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists, her chakra rolling through her system like liquid fire. It would be so easy to just snap his scrawny little neck and be done with it… “Three days.”

“Surely not! You said before it could take weeks for him to fully recover!”

 _Dammit._ “Worst case scenario, yes. But the risk of infection is minuscule with the antibiotics I’ve prescribed him, and if he _follows instructions-_ ”

“A week. At the very least.”

Anxiety began to rear its ugly head in the pit of her stomach, and she clenched her fists again, wanting nothing more than to punch him in the face. “Four days.”

“Six days.”

Sakura couldn’t stop the growl that escaped, and was more than a little satisfied when Murakami backed up another step. “Five. I won’t stay longer.”

“Of course, of course. I’m so relieved.” Murakami retrieved a handkerchief from his kimono and dabbed at the sweat that now beaded on his brow. “I will have a servant show your guards their rooms, and make sure that the guest suite for Fu-chan is made out for you-”

“No. I will stay with my team.” She would _not_ stay in the en suite room like a mistress. He didn’t need constant tending, and she needed her privacy more than ever if she had to stay five whole days tending a man baby.

Murakami opened his mouth to argue, but Sakura’s glare must have made him rethink aggravating her further. “O-of course.” He snapped his fingers and a young woman in a plain yukata stepped forward and bowed low. “You, show our guests our best lodgings.”

“Of course, Murakami-sama.” The maid bowed again to Murakami and then gave Sakura a shallower bow. “If you would follow me, Haruno-sama. ANBU-sama.”

Sakura inclined her head and followed the maid as she led them through the manor. She was grateful when the maid took them down a grand flight of stairs and turned down another long corridor before she stopped at a crimson door with gold filigree. The maid opened the door to reveal a large sitting room and three doors along one wall, allowing glimpses into two bedrooms and a generous bath.

The maid bowed again, this time more deeply. “I apologize for not having more rooms for you, Haruno-sama.”

Sakura’s shoulders finally relaxed a fraction and she gave the woman a small smile. “This is more than enough. Thank you.”

The maid blinked in surprise at the gentleness in Sakura’s tone, and offered a tentative smile back. “Of course, Haruno-sama. Please ring the bell if there is anything you require. I will have a meal prepared for you, if you and your team are hungry.”

The three ANBU didn’t indicate how they felt one way or another, but she figured they at least deserved a nice dinner after running through Fire Country and listening to her argue with Murakami while everyone pretended they were furniture. “That would be perfect, thank you. If we need anything, we’ll ring the bell or get it ourselves from the kitchens.”

“Oh, but-”

Sakura smiled kindly at her, seeing the fear in the woman’s eyes. “Shinobi are a self-sufficient sort. We’re far more comfortable taking care of ourselves. I’ll tell Murakami-sama I ordered you away, if it’ll cause you trouble.”

The tension bled from the maid’s shoulders and she offered a wobbly smile in return. “Thank you, Haruno-sama. I’ll be right back with your meals.” She bowed deeply again before scurrying off.

Crow slid into the room, Sharingan activated as he surveyed the area for traps or enemies inside. Once satisfied, he cocked his head to the side and stepped farther inside, his pack sliding off his shoulders and onto the floor with a sense of finality. Tanuki sauntered in, followed by Sakura, and Cat brought up the rear, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The second the door closed, Sakura set her bag on the floor and threw herself on one of the plush chairs that sat in a ring around the central tea table. Sensing the impending eruption, Cat wisely took a privacy seal from his pack and slapped it on the wall, sending a thread of chakra into the paper to activate it.

“Motherfucking brainless pencil dick ingested hallucinogens and thought spiders were eating him alive, so he _set his fucking clothes on fire_ to kill them, and I swear to all that is good that if he asks me one more time to give him a fucking sponge bath, I will graft his balls to his asshole.” Sakura pressed her palms to her brow bone and sent a thread of chakra to ease the pain in her head from dealing with the utter idiocy that was Murakami Funuke.

Tanuki finally lost all control and bent double with the force of his laughter, his ANBU mask falling to the floor with a clatter. Sakura reached out with her foot to tip him over, only somewhat satisfied when he didn’t fight it and curled on his side on the ground, tears of laughter streaming down his face. Cat sighed and pulled off his mask, giving the pair a long suffering look, but there was no hiding the little smile that tugged on the corners of his mouth.

“So vicious, Cherry-chan,” Crow said with a delighted laugh. “I don’t remember you being this bloodthirsty.”

“That’s because I wasn’t being harassed on the regular by perverts as a genin,” she grumbled, dropping her hands and staring up at the ceiling with a long suffering look. “He even asked me if he could just take perfect skin from a servant and graft it on to hide the scar.”

“That’s…” Crow shook his head, unable to finish the thought.

“Disgusting and wrong and stupid? Yes.” Sakura sighed and forced herself up into a sitting position, running her fingers through her shoulder-length pink hair.

There was a soft knock on the door and Cat and Tanuki put their masks back on as Crow opened the door, allowing the same maid as before to push in a cart laden with food. The maid bowed low to them again, offering a tiny smile. “Please let me know if you need anything else. Enjoy your meal, Haruno-sama. ANBU-sama.”

Sakura managed to smile back. “Thank you again. Have a good evening.”

It shouldn't have surprised her that Crow would slip the maid a few coins, but she supposed he couldn’t have changed too much over the years. The maid stared up at him in surprise for a moment, expression equal parts hesitant and frightened, before she gave him a wobbly smile and a bow. Crow waved to her as she stepped out, closing the door behind her, and Sakura grinned at him.

“What?” Crow pushed the cart to the center of the room and finally removed his mask, revealing an older version of the pretty face she remembered from her childhood. Upturned eyes with criminally long, sooty lashes, and a boyish grin, dark curls falling endearingly over his brow and ears.

“All right, let’s eat, Pretty Boy.” Genma sat up and grabbed a plate, spearing bits of meat with a senbon before pointing at Sakura and Shisui. “You two know each other then?”

Sakura snorted, piling her own plate high with food. “He and Itachi used to come by while team 7 trained just to bug Sasuke. Sometimes Kakashi got bored and decided we should play catch the Shisui as a training exercise.”

Shisui popped a dumpling in his mouth and grinned. “That was fun.”

“You ever catch him?” Genma asked, his smirk telling her that he already knew the answer.

“Of course not. He cheated.”

“You mean he used shunshin,” Yamato corrected, carefully adding a variety of vegetables to his own plate.

Shisui pointed to himself with his chopsticks. “Ninja.”

“Oh, shut up. There was no way we’d ever catch you, even without shunshin,” Sakura groused, poking him with her foot. “The only one of us who possibly could was Kakashi, and he was too lazy to even try.”

Shisui hummed around a mouthful of food. “Nah, he could catch me back then. He just told you three to chase me so he could read in peace.”

“Of course he did.” She had figured that to be the case, and she felt a surge of affection for the Copy Ninja at the thought. Her genin self would have been furious, but as an adult, she couldn’t say she blamed him. Genin were exhausting, and that was without having a team of them to look after. She was grateful all she had to do was heal them. The Yondaime had made Kakashi go from celebrated ANBU captain to jounin sensei for three twelve year olds with no instructions on how to do so. Kakashi hadn’t been the best teacher, but he had done the best he could, and she supposed he had deserved a break every once in a while. “Weren’t you already ANBU by that point?”

Shisui nodded, reaching for another dumpling. “Yup.”

“And you let Hatake make you take over training for his lazy ass?” Genma scowled when Yamato added vegetables to his plate, but grudgingly ate them anyway instead of shoving them back onto the tray.

“Sure,” Shisui said with a careless shrug. “Itachi wanted to see Sasuke, and it was fun.” He grinned, pointing his chopsticks at Sakura. “I liked seeing that cute blush of yours, Cherry-chan.”

Sakura stopped chewing and glared at him, fighting the blush that threatened to flood her cheeks. He had totally known about her little crush, damn him. Then again, she had been stupidly obvious as a child. “So you _were_ doing it on purpose!” she accused, wondering if she should be offended or not that he had teased her back then because of her crush. His grin was unrepentant, and she decided that she couldn’t blame him, really. She did the same thing to Konohamaru even now.

“Another Uchiha, Blossom? You seem to have a thing for guys with the Sharingan,” Genma teased, spearing the dumpling she threw at him with his senbon.

“It’s not my fault the whole clan is stupidly pretty, Jiji. And fuck off, I was twelve.”

“Yeah, Shiranui. Don’t hate me just ‘cause I’m pretty.” Shisui caught the dumpling Genma threw in his mouth, chewing happily.

“You’re a little punk is what you are.” Genma reached over the table and swatted at Shisui, who leaned out of reach with a cheeky grin on his face.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak and paused when Yamato put a helping of vegetable noodles on her plate. “Thank you, taichou.”

“I’m not your taichou anymore, Sakura-chan,” Yamato reminded her, adding several pieces of spicy chicken to her noodles.

Pleased that he had remembered her taste in food, she hummed happily. “Sorry. Habit,” she said around a mouthful of food. “Should I call you Yama-kun instead?”

Yamato blushed to the roots of his hair and Genma burst out laughing while Shisui looked on with interest. “No,” Yamato grumbled, hunching his shoulders.

“You can call him Monster Cock,” Genma offered, pretending not to see the glare Yamato gave him.

Sakura rolled her eyes. “I’m not calling him that, Shiranui.” She paused, eyes sparkling with mischief, before adding, “Even if it’s accurate.”

The look of betrayal on Yamato’s face was too much and she burst into a fit of giggles, reaching out to pat his shoulder in apology. Shisui paused in eating, eyebrows quirked at an amused angle. “Interesting.”

Just because she couldn’t help it, Sakura gave Shisui a saucy wink that elicited a surprised bark of laughter from the Uchiha. “Serious talk for a second. We can pair up for the bedrooms, the beds are fit for the Fire Daimyo so we’ll have plenty of room. Yamato, you’re with me. Genma, you’re with Shisui.”

“You just want Monster Cock all to yourself,” Genma teased.

“Why me?” Yamato whimpered, slouching further in his seat, his blush now reaching his ears.

“Jealous, Shiranui?” Sakura grinned at the older man, lifting her chin in a cocky manner.

Genma grinned back, senbon once again between his teeth. “Kinda, yeah.”

“See, Yamato? Genma likes your cock, too.”

Yamato groaned in agony. “You’re the worst, Sakura-chan,” he grumbled, scowling at his plate.

“This is fun,” Shisui piped up, sounding entirely too cheerful. “We should do this again.”

“I hate you all.” Yamato dropped his chopsticks on his empty plate and placed it carefully on the tray. He pointed an accusatory finger at all three in turn and retreated to one of the bedrooms.

Shisui chewed on one of his chopsticks thoughtfully, eyes glinting with mirth. “Is he actually mad? I can’t always tell.”

“Nah, just embarrassed.” Sakura ate the last piece of chicken on her plate and sighed happily. The one good thing about this mission, aside from the company, would have to be the food. She hated dealing with civilian lords, but she couldn’t argue against dining in style.

Genma hummed in agreement. “Guy’s got a complex about his cock.”

“It’s that big?” Shisui sounded more genuinely curious than anything else, and Genma motioned with his hands to indicate size, laughing when Shisui’s mouth dropped open, eyes wide as saucers. “Wow, okay. Damn.”

Yamato poked his head out of the bedroom to send Genma a truly frightening glare. “Would you knock it off?”

Genma lifted his hands in a placating gesture, shoulders hunched protectively. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll stop.”

Not entirely convinced, Yamato grumbled something uncomplimentary under his breath and disappeared again. Sakura snickered, stacking the empty plates on the cart and wheeling it into the hallway again, careful to leave it against the wall so it wouldn’t be in the way. Door closed behind her again, she stretched and popped several joints in her back, moaning in satisfaction. Satisfied, she shook it out and pointed to the settee behind Shisui.

“Uchiha. Sit.”

Mouth quirked in amusement, Shisui did as he was told, watching her curiously as she sat next to him and placed her fingertips on his temples. She paused before calling for her chakra, looking into his eyes for permission. He didn’t say anything, but the slight smile on his face and relaxed way he remained still for her was answer enough, and she sent a thread of chakra through her fingers and into his eyes.

As she thought, it didn’t look like anyone had ever done anything to ease the inflammation that was common with the Sharingan, and she scowled. His pathways were less convoluted than Sasuke’s were, or Kakashi’s had been before Madara had stolen the eye again. She had to give credit where credit was due. Shisui was known for his excellent chakra control, and that undoubtedly aided him in keeping his Sharingan healthier than average despite how often he used it. Kakashi was just as good, but the transplant had been a field job and hadn’t been as carefully done as it could have been, so he had had to work with more complications. It didn’t help that he was also not an Uchiha, and his body had constantly been fighting with the foreign chakra. It really was amazing how successful he had been as a shinobi with such a handicap. Not that most people saw his having a Sharingan as a handicap, but she knew how much stronger he was without it.

“Activate the Sharingan, please,” she murmured, satisfied when Shisui’s dark eyes bled red, the tomoe spinning lazily. She hummed, chakra tracing the pathways and easing the little blockages that came with time and excessive use. “Mangekyo.”

Shisui blinked and the tomoe bled into a solid shape, his chakra flaring dramatically. Sakura frowned, watching as his chakra pathways changed shape to make way for the advanced dojutsu, broadening for an increase of chakra being fed into the eye. Almost immediately, the inflammation started again and she soothed it with her own chakra, careful to keep her own interference to a minimum. The Sharingan was a picky kekkei genkai, and didn’t take well to outside interference. It was only her years of practice that let her do it successfully.

“Any pain?” she asked quietly, fingertips easing closer to the outer corner of his eyes.

“Not after you did whatever you did.” Shisui’s voice was just as quiet, and she almost smiled at the almost sleepy lilt. Sasuke would never admit it, but she knew that her work on his eyes often made him want a nap. Kakashi would even go so far as to lie with his head in her lap before she started, because he fell asleep every time. It seemed like Shisui was no different.

“Good. You can turn it off now, thank you.” Her chakra continued to soothe as he blinked again, the Mangekyo replaced by a pair of dark irises. He blinked a second time to focus his gaze on hers, mouth quirking slightly into a tiny smile. The inflammation was gone, but she sent her chakra through his pathways anyway, searching for any other blockages. He was in excellent shape, and she had already healed the stress fracture in his ribs, but if he was going to sit still for her, there was no way she wasn’t going to take advantage of it.

“Minty.”

Sakura released a breathy laugh, but didn’t stop her chakra scan. “Kakashi says that too,” she murmured absently, easing her fingers away from his eyes to rest along his throat. An old scar near his carotid artery hadn’t healed quite right, and she sent chakra into the skin to increase elasticity, the faint pink line fading until it blended in with the rest of his skin. Another quick scan and she finally pulled her chakra back, hands falling into her lap. “Your chakra control is saving your eyes, but the Sharingan will continue to cause problems the more you use it.”

“Feels much better now,” he said thoughtfully, and she knew he was tempted to activate it just to prove it. He grinned at her, eyes alight with mischief. “So I should just come to you to fix me from now on, right?”

“You’re adding to your collection of strays, Blossom,” Genma said from one of the armchairs, having observed the interaction between them with no small amount of amusement.

“I do want to keep an eye on it, yes.” Sakura leaned back and crossed her arms over her stomach, fingers tapping lightly against her waist. “I know you’re supposed to see your clan doctors, but for all of their supposed expertise, they’re terrible at mitigating pain.”

Shisui nodded absently, reaching up to tug on a stray lock of hair near his temple. “I didn’t know anything could be done about that. It feels…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “Smoother. Lighter. Thank you.”

“Mhm. And I don’t have a collection of strays.”

“You kinda do,” Yamato called from the bedroom, much to her annoyance.

“He says that like he’s not one of them,” Genma said to Shisui with a grin.

Sakura threw her arms in the air and scowled. “What’s wrong with wanting to take care of my team?”

“Nothing. It’s cute.” Genma spun another senbon between his fingers, the metal blurring as he moved it faster and faster.

“Hmph.” Sakura kicked his foot just to satisfy her need to punish him for teasing her. “You bring any cards?”

Genma clicked his tongue and pulled a pack from his back pocket. “Like you even need to ask, Pinky. Bet?”

Sakura’s grin was positively feral. “You’re on, Jiji.”

Shisui leaned forward with interest as Genma began to shuffle the deck, smile broadening when Yamato wandered back into the room and took a seat nearby. Genma dealt them all a hand with deft flicks of the wrist. “Poker. Ryo or strip?”

“Oh, come on!” Yamato complained, glaring at him.

“We don’t have alcohol, so just ryo,” Sakura said absently as she shuffled her cards.

“So, if we have drinks, we play strip poker?” Shisui sounded entirely too intrigued by the idea and Sakura fought back an amused smile.

“That’s usually what it turns into, anyway,” she affirmed. “Fifty to start the pot.”

“Done. Uchiha, you’re up.”

The game only devolved after that, but Sakura didn’t care. Shisui was a skilled player despite his expressive face, and Yamato had improved since the last time she had played against him. She could still read all of his tells, of course, and she almost felt bad for cleaning him out. Almost. Not enough to stop herself from wiping the floor with all three of her teammates.

“Royal flush. Pay up, boys.” She tossed her cards down and the three ANBU groaned, throwing their cards down in defeat.

“You’re too cruel, Cherry-chan.” Shisui leaned back against the settee, one arm resting on his knee, not looking all that cut up about losing his money despite his words.

Sakura cheerfully collected her winnings, flipping through the notes to count them just to be annoying. Genma had tried to stiff her three hundred ryo before, and she wasn’t about to let him do it again.

“Why do we even bother playing if she always wins?” Yamato groused, especially grumpy since he had already lost a bet to Genma earlier that day.

“Because there’s always a chance I’ll finally get to see her naked,” Genma said honestly with a playful leer.

“You wish, Shiranui. And I don’t _always_ win,” she said, putting the money in her pocket.

“If you don’t win, Kakashi-senpai does. It’s not fair.” Yamato sighed and rested his head against the back of his chair, eyes closed.

“Kakashi cheats.” She had never caught him, but she knew that he did. It didn’t help that he also tended to wear more articles of clothing than anyone else, so even if he did lose a hand, it hardly mattered.

“And you don’t?” It was more an honest question than an accusation, and she shot Shisui a cheerful smile, not bothering to correct him one way or another.

“What’re the chances our client demands your attention during the night?” Genma asked, sliding the cards back into the box and pocketing it.

Sakura’s shoulders slumped. He just had to remind her why they had come in the first place. “Ugh. High. We should turn in for the night.”

“As you command, taichou,” Genma said cheekily, laughing when she glared at him. “C’mon, Pretty Boy. Let’s cuddle.”

Shisui laughed good naturedly, rising to his feet and grabbing his pack before he followed Genma into the bedroom at the far end of the wall.

Yamato let out a long suffering sigh and stood, holding out his hand to help Sakura to her feet. She took it gratefully, nudging him with her shoulder as they headed into the room he had chosen. The bed was just as large as she had predicted, and she realized that all four of them could have easily fit with room to spare, but wasn’t sure how well that would go over if she suggested it. Luckily, she had been on missions with Yamato before, and was comfortable enough to sleep beside him without trouble. She might stab Genma in his sleep, just because. She wasn’t sure about Shisui, yet. Maybe he was another cuddler. That would be nice.

“‘Night, guys,” she called as the door closed. Genma whistled and she heard Shisui’s laugh, and she shook her head, unable to stop her exasperated smile, and got ready for bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Her prediction proved to be correct, and Sakura was not pleased with being woken from a sound sleep by a fist pounding on the outer door at fuck-all o’clock in the morning. Tangled as she was with Yamato, who was deliciously warm and solid and far more comfortable than he had any right to be, she lifted her head to glare at the wall through a curtain of hair.

Yamato stirred beneath her, opening one eye. “You need me to come with you?”

His presence _might_ stop Funuke from groping her, but she rather doubted it. She dropped her head down to rest her brow against his bare chest, taking a deep breath before she pushed herself up and dropped a kiss on the tip of his nose. “Not now. Go back to sleep.”

He hummed sleepily, patting her shoulder before he rolled onto his side. “Don’t kill him, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura pulled on the clothes she had discarded before going to bed, and slung her medic bag over her shoulder. Unless he had done something stupid she doubted she needed it, but with his history it was better to be safe than sorry. Still exhausted, she scrubbed at her face with her hands and left the room, throwing the outer door open to glare at whoever had been knocking so insistently.

The attendant, whose fist had been raised to knock again, cowered when he caught her expression. “Murakami-sama-”

“I figured,” she snapped, too tired to be polite. She brushed past him and headed out to the idiot’s room, following the route the maid had shown them hours before. She could only hope it would be a short visit.

She returned to their guest suite an hour later, more exhausted than ever and ready to put her fist through a wall. The moment she closed the outer door behind her, she slumped against it and swore.

“Coffee or sleep, Cherry-chan?”

Sakura looked up and found Shisui crouched in front of her, a gentle smile on his pretty face. He only wore the regulation black lycra sleeveless shirt and ANBU pants, and they hugged his form in a way that made her want to stare. She wondered if it was what he wore to sleep, or if he had pulled them on before coming out of the bedroom. It was a struggle to meet his gaze, and she chose to ignore the flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Sleep,” she said finally. “Coffee later.”

“Up you get then.” He took her hands and pulled her to her feet, steadying her when she wobbled.

“You’re annoyingly chipper for being up so early,” she grumbled, leaning more heavily against him than was warranted. It really wasn’t her fault that he was so warm, and she was enjoying the way his arm slid around her waist to hold her close.

“So I’m told,” Shisui replied, not sounding at all bothered by her clear distaste.

He pushed the bedroom door open and she perked up when she saw Yamato still sprawled on the mattress. Elite shinobi that he was, he opened his eyes to look at them and then closed them again, lifting his arm in invitation. Sakura dropped her medic bag on the floor and began to strip down to her cotton boyshorts and sports bra, ignoring the amused sound that came from Shisui as she crawled onto the bed and slid under Yamato’s arm. It took a bit of maneuvering to get comfortable, and she looked at the door to see Shisui leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his chest and mouth quirked in a grin.

Yamato was warm against her back, his strong arm a heavy weight on her hip. It had been a wonderful surprise when she realized that he was a cuddler several years before, and she had taken advantage of it ever since. She sighed happily, snuggling deeper into his hold, and looked at Shisui with a sleepy smile. Before she could think about it too much, she patted the space beside her. “You gonna just watch, or are you gonna come in?”

Dark brows lifted in surprise, Shisui dropped his arms but made no move to come closer. “Are you inviting me, Cherry-chan?”

If she hadn’t been so tired, she would have rolled her eyes. It was sweet that he sought her permission first, but she suspected he had been staring at her ass as she climbed onto the bed. And okay, it made sense that he would ask since he hadn’t spent any time with her in years and didn’t know her boundaries, but... “Obviously.” She turned her head into the pillow to cover a jaw cracking yawn.

Shisui stretched and finally pushed away from the door frame. He pulled off his top and tossed it onto the floor beside her discarded clothes, soon followed by his pants, leaving him in a pair of black lycra shorts that hid absolutely nothing at all and wow, he was _delicious_. All hard muscle with broad shoulders that tapered to a narrower waist, long legs built for speed, and a generous bulge between his legs that she _really_ wanted to give a closer inspection. A tiny smirk played at the corners of his mouth as he caught her looking. He sat down beside her and lay on his side to face her, tucking her head under his chin so her nose brushed his collarbone. Sakura sighed and finally closed her eyes, one arm curled between them and the other resting lightly on his waist. He was blissfully warm, and smelled of wood smoke, coffee, and something distinctly male that she wanted to wrap around herself like a blanket.

Yamato yawned too, his hot breath fanning out over the back of her neck and she barely suppressed a shiver. It had been a long time since they had been intimate, but little things like his breath on her neck could send her back to drunken nights where she discovered just how accurate Genma’s nickname for him really was. Lucky for her, Yamato was a generous lover, and had let her set the pace every time to ensure he didn’t hurt her. She was grateful for that; a pleasant ache in her core had been the only evidence of a good fucking, and she had healed that only to keep from limping the next day.

“You’re thinking awfully hard about something, Cherry-chan,” Shisui murmured into her hair, his warm tenor a pleasant vibration against her fingers on his chest.

Sakura hummed, and fought not to smile. “Mhm,” she said, brushing her nose against the smooth skin of Shisui’s throat. “Just remembering a particularly nice Wood Release from a certain Monster Cock.”

Yamato’s aggrieved moan of “ _why_ ” was drowned out by Shisui’s sudden fit of hysterical laughter, followed by a triumphant “I fucking _knew_ it!” that came from the doorway. Genma threw himself on the bed with enough force to dislodge Yamato’s arm from her hip and nearly bounced Shisui off the bed, but the Uchiha was laughing too hard to do anything but clutch his stomach as tears leaked from his eyes and stained the pillow. He somehow managed to stay on the bed, but only just. Sakura turned to face Yamato and cupped his jaw in her hands, turning his head until he was facing her again. He stubbornly refused to meet her gaze and she could only laugh as she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek in apology.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.” She bit her lip but couldn’t hide her smile when he finally looked at her, cheeks bright red with a fierce blush.

He sighed heavily, not looking happy about it but not upset either, his lips quirked in a rueful smile. “You’ve been holding onto that one for a while, haven’t you?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, kinda.”

“But did you have to say it around _him_?” Yamato jerked a thumb to indicate their teammate, who was sitting behind him and grinning like a child being offered an entire arsenal of his favorite toys.

“Sorry.” And she actually was, because she knew that Genma would _never_ let him live it down.

“That was great, Blossom. And why wasn’t I invited to the slumber party? I’m hurt.” Genma poked Yamato’s side, laughing even harder when Yamato batted him away.

“Don’t even think about spooning me, Shiranui.” The warning glare did absolutely nothing to stop Genma from scooting in close, and Yamato rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillows with a groan.

* * *

The next three days were spent much the same way, but Sakura’s temper flared higher each time she had to see their client and reiterate that no, she would not become his live-in nurse no matter how well he paid her. She was grateful for her team, who sensed her growing anxiety and sought to lighten the mood with card games and a constant stream of teasing banter. After the first night, all four of them piled on the same bed, and Sakura found herself waking in someone’s arms every morning. She generally gravitated toward Yamato due to their shared history, but she woke up sprawled on top of Genma once, only mustering the energy to roll her eyes at him when he playfully smacked her ass before she rolled off him.

Yamato had grown used to team 7 cuddle piles, as Naruto called them, years ago and had resigned himself to his fate when he had been dragged into it during a particularly brutal mission in Snow Country. The initial reasoning was to conserve body heat, but he had found that he rather liked sleeping so closely to other people in a platonic sense. Especially with a team he trusted with his life. It became common practice after that to forego separate beds while traveling and to just pile together, Sakura in the very middle, more often than not. She always ran cold, and sought out the closest source of body heat. She figured Kakashi only really agreed to it at first because he was too cheap to spring for more beds, but she couldn’t really fault him for that. As Sasuke and Naruto went on more and more missions together, Sakura found herself on a team with Kakashi and Yamato, and it simply evolved from there.

Genma, as one of Kakashi’s closest friends, would occasionally be added to their team for a mission, and he had inserted himself into the pile more to tease Kakashi and Yamato than anything else. Despite his wildly flirtatious personality, he never pushed her boundaries. He was by no means a gentleman, but she didn’t mind the occasional hand on her ass, light kiss, or outrageous innuendo. She trusted him, and had missed spending time with all three of them when she took the director position at the hospital, effectively putting her combat medic career on hold until further notice.

Shisui was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. He had been happy to continue the cuddle pile tradition, not seeming to care even when he woke up tangled with Genma, which had interested her far more than maybe it should have. Even more so when Genma woke up and stared at him with a bemused look on his face, and Shisui batted his lashes up at him and simpered, “Good morning, senpai.”

Genma rolled on top of him and pinned the taller man’s hands above his head. Sakura watched in fascination as Shisui grinned up at him but didn’t move to extricate himself from the situation. His gaze shifted from Genma to her, and then he winked and made a kiss face at Genma, finally causing the older man to burst out laughing and flop over on his side, releasing Shisui’s hands in the process. She was mildly disappointed they hadn’t gone further, but couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the smug look on Shisui’s face. Yamato snorted at their antics and buried his head deeper in her shoulder, which only made her laugh harder.

She could still vividly remember her mild crush on him as a child, charmed by his pretty face and easy confidence, and the way he would gently tease her by calling her Cherry-chan just to see her blush. She was gratified to know that the war hadn’t destroyed his sunny disposition, and he had only become more self-assured and playful as an adult. The greatest change was the air of sensuality around him with increasing frequency, the teasing light in his dark eyes carrying a sexy edge that he hadn’t shown her before. He flirted easily, but never pushed, allowing her to take the lead. She appreciated it more than she could say, although she was tempted to say to hell with it and just push _him_ until he broke, just to see if she could.

On the fifth day of their mission, she woke between Shisui and Genma, wrapped loosely in the former’s arms with her back pressed to his chest. She let herself laze in his arms for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth of his bare skin against her back, and the soft breaths that fanned out over the back of her neck as he slept. Sometime during the night, their legs had become tangled together, his knee between her thighs, and she couldn’t stop herself from arching her back to press her ass into the cradle of his hips. She felt his breathing change into wakefulness, and bit her lip to stop herself from smiling when his arm tightened around her waist, pressing up beneath her breasts. There was no missing the press of his semi-hard cock along the seam of her ass, and she was tempted to push back again when she felt his teeth close lightly over the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder.

It was just a gentle bite, but she took it as the warning he intended, shivering when he released her and whispered huskily in her ear, “Naughty, Cherry-chan.”

“Oi, quit flirting, you two,” Genma grumbled, not even opening his eyes. He paused, apparently thought better of it, and opened one eye to give them a cheeky grin. “Or keep it up. I don’t mind watching.”

Shisui laughed into Sakura’s hair, kissing the shell of her ear before he rolled off the bed and stood. “I’ll make some coffee.” He didn’t bother putting on any clothes, striding out of the room only in a pair of boxer briefs that did nothing to hide the start of an erection.

Sakura rolled onto her back and sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Genma propped himself up on his elbow, eyeing her seriously for a moment and he said, “The tension between you two is getting pretty nuts there, Petal.”

Sakura turned her head to face him but didn’t move otherwise. There was no denying the chemistry that sparked between them, and that it had been growing every day. She was more than a little tempted to act on it, but had a few reservations. Reservations that Genma immediately picked up on, damn him.

“Didn’t think you and Hatake were exclusive.” He pulled a senbon from somewhere and put it between his lips.

Sakura groaned and sat up, scrubbing her hands over her face. Her relationship with Kakashi wasn’t common knowledge, and the only reason Genma had said anything aloud was because Yamato was one of the few in the know. It hadn’t exactly been a conscious decision, but she knew the risks that came along with having a relationship of any kind with a man who had once been her teacher, even if it had only lasted less than a year a decade earlier. The fourteen years between them was another point of contention for some, and neither she nor Kakashi wanted to deal with the opinions of any naysayers.

Another reason was one she wasn’t sure Kakashi was even aware of, but she was acutely. Kakashi was the last of his clan, and if the council became aware that he had a relationship with _anyone_ , they would push for him to repopulate the Hatake clan so Konoha wouldn’t lose such an important lineage. Sakura would become a little Hatake baby factory, and while she wasn’t opposed to having children, she would only have them because she wanted a family, not because she had to repopulate an entire bloodline through her uterus.

Of course, there was also the fact that Kakashi was a reclusive and very private person, and it was no wonder that their relationship, such as it was, had been kept under wraps since it had begun two years ago. Her fling with Yamato aside, she hadn’t slept with anyone else, and she didn’t think Kakashi had either, although neither of them had ever said anything one way or another about being exclusive. The fact that she was honestly considering something with Shisui meant that she needed to talk to Kakashi and soon. She didn’t think he would mind – he hadn’t minded when she told him about Yamato, had almost seemed _amused_ by it – but out of respect for him, she figured she should ask. Actually, his reaction to Yamato had been amusement, and then he had proceeded to fuck her until she was unable to move. His competitive nature reared its head at the strangest times, but she couldn’t find it in her to complain, especially if it resulted in _that_.

“Hatake likes him, you know,” Genma said conversationally, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Yamato grumbled something and sat up on Genma’s other side, ruffling his hair and doing nothing to fix his adorable case of bedhead. Sakura gave him an apologetic smile, knowing that he would probably have preferred to continue sleeping if at all possible. His voice was husky and deep, and Sakura wondered if he knew how sexy it sounded like that. Knowing him, probably not. “Trusts him, at least.” He frowned, adding, “Oh yeah, Kakashi-senpai saved his life. Stopped Danzo from stealing his Sharingan.”

Sakura dropped her hands and stared. “Danzo did _what?_ ”

“Ah, I forgot about that.” Genma shifted the senbon to the other side of his mouth. “Happened, what, fifteen years ago or something? Danzo found out that Pretty Boy had the Mangekyo and decided he wanted it, so he ambushed him and tried to steal it. Hatake heard about it and managed to get there before Root got involved.”

Scattered pieces of information began to click together in her head, and she stared at Genma with wide eyes, thoughts running through her mind in a whirlwind. She knew that Kakashi had been part of Danzo’s trial, but hadn’t heard the extent of his involvement. Like so many pieces of his past, it wasn’t something he talked about, and she hadn’t thought to ask. It was likely that he hadn’t seen the point in telling her since it had happened so long ago. Years before they had even met. It was certainly a significant event in the village’s history, though, and she really shouldn’t have been surprised that he had been involved. Shisui’s involvement, however, was another matter. She hadn’t realized that Danzo had targeted _him_ in particular.

“They did some missions together after that, at least until Hatake was pulled from ANBU and became your sensei.” Genma tapped his fingers idly against his knee, eyes unfocused as he thought back. “Wouldn’t surprise me if they still do sometimes. Only person faster than them is the Yondaime.”

Before she could even open her mouth to ask something – _a_ _nything_ – Shisui came back into the room and handed her a steaming cup of coffee, fixed exactly the way she liked it. She took it gratefully, bringing the mug to her nose and inhaling deeply. Shisui smiled and sat on the bed next to her, holding his own mug.

“Hey, where’s mine, Pretty Boy?” Genma demanded, pretending to be offended.

“Oh, did you want some?” Shisui’s expression was completely innocent, and he made no move to get up, making Sakura smile behind her mug, a faint blush on her cheeks. It was sweet how he always brought her a cup of coffee whenever he made one for himself without her even having to ask. The first time, he had paid attention how she took it, and every time after that made it exactly as she described. Black, with a healthy splash of cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. It was such a simple gesture, but the fact that he thought of it made her heart flutter.

“Cheeky brat.” Genma climbed off the bed and went in search of coffee, Yamato ambling after him.

Shisui grinned and shifted until he was facing her. “Everything okay?”

She hadn’t realized her shoulders had been tense until they suddenly sagged, and she gave him a tired smile. “Yeah. Thank you for the coffee.”

He hummed, cradling his mug in his palm, not seeming to be bothered by the heat. “So. You and Hatake, huh?”

Startled, she paused in bringing her mug to her lips, staring at him with wide eyes. He smiled sheepishly and pointed to his eyes. “Sorry. I can read lips.”

Of course he could. She took a sip of her coffee, wondering how she should explain, and if she even should before she talked to Kakashi himself. Turned out, she didn’t have to.

“I can’t really say I’m surprised, honestly. It explains why he’s always in such a hurry to get home now.” His expression turned thoughtful, and that answered her earlier question of whether or not he and Kakashi still had missions together. “He doesn’t talk about much outside of the mission, but his tell is kind of obvious if you know him well enough. The less he says about someone, the more he cares about them.” He smiled at her, gaze warm and affectionate, and a touch resigned. “He _never_ mentions you.”

She knew she was blushing, and the way his smile broadened made her blush even more. Caught, she looked away and took a cautious sip of her coffee. It was nice hearing an outside perspective on her relationship with Kakashi, especially since the man wasn’t particularly articulate when it came to dealing with emotions. She knew he cared for her, maybe even loved her the way she loved him, but neither of them had said the words. That said, throwing Shisui in the mix was an added complication, and she couldn’t deny that she wanted him.

Shisui shook his head, giving her a self-depreciating look. “I like you, Cherry-chan.” Her blush spread and he grinned in response. “A lot, actually. I’m glad I was chosen for this mission just because I got to see that cute blush of yours again. I don’t know what your relationship is with Hatake, but if you’re open to something with me, too… I’m happy to share.”

He didn’t need to explain what he meant, and she chewed her lip as she looked at him through her lashes. She wanted so badly to just lean forward and pin him to the bed and kiss him senseless. To grab him by the hair and devour that stupidly charming mouth just to see if his kiss was as smooth as his words. After that image came another, of Shisui at her back while Kakashi assaulted her front, and she had to shut it down fast before her body spiraled out of control.

Sakura took a deep breath and blew it slowly out her mouth, before she rattled off a series of numbers. She looked up to see him stare at her for a moment before he leaned forward and rifled through the pocket of his pants that were still on the floor. A tiny smile formed on her lips when she realized it was his phone he was looking for, and she watched him put the number into his contacts.

“I’ll talk to him,” she said softly, her expression almost shy. “I like you too.”

The smile he gave her in reply was blinding, and she was gratified to see that his cheeks were stained a faint pink. She had never seen him blush before, and found it incredibly endearing that her telling him she liked him had been enough to cause it.

“Ugh, you two are fucking disgusting.”

Genma’s loud comment startled both Sakura and Shisui, and the pair turned to see him leaning against the doorway with a cheeky grin on his face and a cup of coffee in hand. Sakura scowled at him, but Shisui only laughed, completely unruffled by the fact that their teammates had probably heard everything.

Cheeks still flaming, Sakura stood up and made her way toward the bathroom. She needed a few minutes to herself as she collected her thoughts, and the shower was the perfect place for it.

Now that Shisui had made his intentions known, she was torn between sending Kakashi a brief message with her phone or waiting for him to return from his mission. Given the fact that he very rarely checked his phone, even if the message was from her, it was probably best if she waited, but she had never been known for her patience. Kakashi would often tease her about it, much to her irritation. He was infuriatingly patient, both in the bedroom and otherwise. It was a trait she both loved and hated in equal measure, and she had a feeling that Shisui was just as adept at the waiting game.

She bit her lip and smiled, tipping her head back and letting the water stream over her face. She wasn’t sure if she would survive having them both, if Kakashi agreed to a third, but she’d have a hell of a time trying to keep up.

Clean, and feeling more collected, she stepped out of the shower and patted her hair dry with a fluffy towel. She hadn’t grabbed any clothes, so she wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out of the bathroom to see all three ANBU dressed and with their bags packed. She was pleasantly surprised to see that her own bag had been packed too, with a change of clothes placed on top. Probably Yamato’s doing, and she fought back a smile as she slipped into the bedroom to change.

Sakura buttoned her red qipao top at her collarbone, smoothing the fabric down where it hung down over her black lycra shorts in the front and back. The black obi with its hidden weapons pockets was snug around her waist, her thigh holster securely fastened and in easy reach. Her favorite black closed-toe boots were next, sliding a kunai into the hidden holster and then her short gloves at last, tugging on the ties with her teeth to keep them secure.

Kakashi had teased her before about her outfit, saying she looked more like a brawler than a medic. She had primly informed him that it really depended on the situation, thank you, and that he should be careful, lest she chose to keep her medic skills to herself. A tiny smile formed at the memory, and her heart ached. A month wasn’t very long, but it felt like an eternity when she had been spending every day with him in some capacity before that.

Just one more look at the idiot’s burns and she would be free. Despite her misgivings, he had done a passable job in caring for the wounds, and was healing well. Sakura breathed in deep, blowing the air out slowly through her mouth, and lifted her chin, determination in her eyes. She would _not_ lose her temper.

A quick scan of the room confirmed that her teammates had emptied it of their possessions, and someone had even made the bed. She hung the towel she had used on the hook beside the door and stepped out, pleased to see that they were waiting for her, ANBU masks in place. “Crow, you’re with me. Cat and Tanuki, we’ll meet you outside within the hour.”

Tanuki saluted and then the pair were gone, taking all of their bags with the exception of her medic kit with them. She didn’t need to see his face to know that Shisui was smiling, and she nudged him with her shoulder as she passed. He didn’t say a word as he followed her through the ornate halls of the manor, and she felt the faint genjutsu he cast to hide his presence from the servants they passed along the way. She really didn’t need anyone with her for the last check, but she couldn’t resist the excuse to have him close a little longer.

Sakura knocked on her patient’s bedroom door, waiting for his entreaty to enter before opening the door. The moment she saw him she clenched her jaw and stopped short. Murakami Funuke lay sprawled on a divan, his yukata spread open to reveal the pale skin of his chest and lack of undergarments, his hakama and underwear tossed casually over the arm of the chair beside him.

She fought the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration and instead came inside, closing the door only when Crow slipped in behind her and stationed himself by the wall. She didn’t miss the quiet laugh that escaped him, but she pretended she hadn’t heard anything as she turned to face the smug face of her patient.

“I’m glad you’re taking my advice in airing out the wound, Murakami-sama,” she said coolly, chakra pooling in her palms as she stepped forward and knelt beside him, hand hovering over the skin of his hip.

“I’m so glad you appreciate my efforts, Sakura-hime.” He reached forward to touch a lock of her hair and she shifted out of reach as her chakra rippled over the extent of his burns. It was a simple thing to encourage skin elasticity and speed healing by multiplying new cells, but civilians always healed slower than shinobi. Funuke would certainly have extensive scars, but they wouldn’t be as bad as they could have been after she had spent five days doing what she could with her chakra every six hours.

“Hm. The first degree burns are healed, for the most part. The peeling is normal, just let it come off on its own.” She fought to keep her annoyance from showing as her proximity seemed to be enough to elicit a response from the young lord, his cock thickening right before her eyes. Funuke’s gaze was hungry, but she didn’t miss the wince as the sensitive skin stretched unpleasantly. Some of the worst burns were on his shaft, and the skin naturally tightened as it healed, causing the member to curve awkwardly.

Her chakra spread to cover his member, easing the stiffness of the skin and recirculating the blood flow to force his erection down. Funuke pouted, but didn’t say anything about it. Crow’s genjutsu was enough to cover his quiet laughter, but it seemed that he had tailored it specifically to only affect civilians. The jutsu slid over her skin like a caress, but made no effort to catch her in the illusion. She hadn’t realized he could be so exact in his genjutsu, and she flicked her gaze over to him to see the Sharingan glowing faintly behind the mask.

“You’re healing well, and the blisters have been drained and cleaned. Keep taking the antibiotic until you run out, and make sure you eat foods with probiotics to keep your gastrointestinal tract healthy.” Her scan complete, she lifted her hand and her chakra faded away.

Shisui watched with interest as she stood, her expression carefully neutral. He could feel her irritation, but it seemed that the young lord was completely blind to it. He wasn’t sure if it was more amusing or insulting, really, that the man cared so little for her clear distaste. Watching her heal was fascinating, and he had carefully kept his Sharingan locked on her to see her process, only to realize that she seemed to be working at the _cellular level_ and to do so, her control had to be perfect. His chakra control was good, but not _that_ good. Cherry-chan really was an impressive medic, and he wondered if she would be willing to teach him a thing or two.

“Are you sure you can’t stay any longer, Sakura-hime?” Funuke wheedled, not even attempting to cover himself as he sat up. “I’ll do anything. Pay any price.”

The muscles in her shoulders tensed, and Shisui shifted so he could see her expression better, taking in the flare of anger in her jade eyes, and the hint of color on her cheeks. “My duty is to Konohagakure, Murakami-sama,” she said in a clipped tone, and Shisui really shouldn’t have been turned on by how angry she was getting, but her rage was incredibly sexy. If that made him a masochist, then so be it. He was fine with that.

“Surely I can convince you,” Funuke insisted, a sly look on his face. The man was handsome enough, but Sakura was clearly uninterested, and his insistence only seemed to piss her off more. Shisui fought back a sigh. The man really ought to give up before she killed him. “A beautiful woman like you, you deserve the best. I can give you anything you could ever want.”

Sakura snorted, her lips curled in a sneer of distaste, and Shisui’s cock stirred. “With respect, you have nothing I want.” She shook some of the tension from her shoulders and bowed, but not as deeply as was warranted for his rank, her own private fuck you to the man that made Shisui smile from behind his mask.

“Sakura-hime… You must feel something here.” Funuke pressed a manicured hand to his chest, standing up and taking a step toward her. “I’m an influential man, and I want you. Your beauty is wasted in Konohagakure. Be my mistress, and I’ll shower you with gifts.”

“Tch.” The sound was sharply dismissive, and Sakura’s anger rolled off her in waves. Shisui took a small step toward her, wondering if he would need to intervene just to stop her from starting an incident. Not that the man didn’t deserve it, because he totally did. But the diplomatic fallout would be catastrophic.

“I know you’re single,” Funuke continued, but Sakura cut him off.

“I’m not, actually.” She lifted her chin and her gaze slid to Shisui. His eyes widened as her lips curved in a smirk that was more predatory than anything else, and she was suddenly toe to toe with him and he instinctively let his genjutsu fall. Her head tipped back as she lifted his mask just enough to reveal his mouth, and then her lips were on his and _wow_ , okay. She stepped closer, fingers sliding over his jaw to slip into his hair, her tongue ghosting over his lips and that was enough to shake him out of his stupor. Shisui grabbed her hips and hauled her against his body, angling his head to allow her to deepen the kiss because he fucking _loved_ how she took control. A soft moan escaped him when she nipped at his tongue and sucked it into her mouth, releasing it only to bite his bottom lip and give it a tug that sent a bolt of lightning right to his cock. Their lips parted and he released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, more than a little dazed.

Funuke’s outraged protests finally filtered through as she leaned back and slowly slipped his mask back over his face, and he could finally see her kiss-swollen lips curved in a satisfied smile. The blush on her cheeks was no longer from anger but arousal, and he felt a little thrill go through him that he had been the one to cause it. He had dozens of seduction missions under his belt and the occasional hookup after a particularly hard mission, but _no one_ had ever gotten under his skin quite like this before. The woman was one hell of a kisser, and the confidence she exuded was the hottest thing he had ever seen. His tongue slid over his lips and he swore he could taste her all over again.

“As you can see, Murakami-sama… I’m quite taken.”

Shisui would have been offended by how steady her voice was if her smug little smile hadn’t been so hot, because he wasn’t sure _he_ could speak quite yet. Luckily, no one expected him to. He only had to watch as she tipped her head in goodbye to the fuming Funuke, and followed her out of the room. The door closed with a soft click, followed by the crash of broken glass as something hit the wall on the other side, but he was too distracted by the woman standing in front of him.

Sakura shook her head at the door and tilted her head to look at Shisui, the upward curve of her delectable mouth turning wry. “Might want to cycle your chakra to get rid of that, Crow.” Her eyes dropped to his half-hard cock, and he swallowed thickly before doing as he was told, glad he had watched through the Sharingan as she had done the same to Funuke just minutes before. And wasn’t _that_ a useful little trick.

“Yes, ma’am.” Words. Success. That came out deeper than usual though, and he watched as her eyes darkened in response. She liked that. The voice or the words, he wasn’t sure, but _score_.

She didn’t comment, but he was gratified to see the way her eyes roamed over him from head to toe one more time before she tipped her head to the side and turned on her heel. Shisui followed obediently after her as she led the way through the manor to the massive foyer, lifting a hand to catch the attention of a passing servant.

“Would you be so kind as to alert Lord Murakami we will be taking our leave?”

The maid bowed low and scurried off, returning a few moments later with Murakami senior, whose expression seemed to be caught between worry and irritation. Shisui stood behind and to the side of Sakura as a show of support. Not that she needed it.

“Haruno-san. Must you leave today?” Murakami panted as he finally came to a stop in front of them. He reached out to touch Sakura but seemed to remember what had happened last time, because he snapped his hands back and fidgeted with his kimono instead.

“Yes, Murakami-sama. Your son is well on the way to a complete recovery. Thank you for your gracious hospitality.” She bowed, her expression carefully neutral.

“I… Well, all right. If it’s as you say, then…” Murakami mopped the sweat from his brow with another handkerchief he fished out of his kimono. “Thank you for your assistance, Haruno-san. Please tell the Hokage that we appreciate his help, as always.”

“Of course.” Sakura gave him a tight smile, and turned to leave. Murakami made an aborted motion to catch her again, and then sighed heavily. Sakura pretended she hadn’t seen it and walked out the door and into the sun, Shisui following close behind.

The moment the doors closed behind them, Sakura’s shoulders sagged and she tipped her head back, eyes closed as she soaked in the sun’s warmth. A deep breath in and then released, and she slowly opened her eyes and smiled. “ _Finally_ ,” she whispered, and then she turned to look at him and gave him the most brilliant smile and he froze, because her smile made his heart melt just a little bit.

Even as she lifted a hand to greet Tanuki as he stepped out of the trees, and Cat as he melted _out of_ a tree, he found himself replaying their kiss in his mind and he almost tripped over his own feet. It was just one kiss, and he was already losing his damn mind. He hardly paid attention when Cat handed him his bag and Shisui slung it over his shoulder until it rested against his back. Some part of him was alert enough to not send him careening into a branch as he led them through the trees in the same loose formation they had come in, but the rest was on thoughts of her.

He had had crushes before as a kid, and had even fancied himself in love with someone as a teen, but no kiss had ruined him the way Sakura’s had. As their mission had gone on, he knew that the chemistry between them was incredible, but he hadn’t realized that he would react so strongly when they finally acted on it. And that kiss had been just for _show_ , he realized. What would happen if he kissed her for real?

He was halfway convinced his hair would set itself on fire. Or just his clothes. _Something_ would happen, and it would probably be embarrassing, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Cherry-chan was something else. Strong, fierce, and smart as hell. She had a mean streak and he was a total masochist because he _liked_ it, and would happily follow any order she decided to give him. Why the _hell_ hadn’t he noticed her before? They lived in the same village, they were both elite shinobi in said village, and she was on the same genin team as his best friend’s little brother. The fact that he had somehow managed to miss her was baffling, and he was more than a little annoyed that it had taken so long to realize it.

Shisui paused at the top of the gate that surrounded the estate, waving at the startled guards before he launched into the trees on the other side, quickly followed by Cat, Tanuki, and Sakura herself. Trees rushed by as he leaped from limb to limb, Sharingan catching everything around him even if his conscious mind refused to cooperate.

The whole mission had been one surprise after another. He hadn’t been on an escort mission this easy in _years_ , and while he had been on plenty of missions with Cat and Tanuki, it was his first ever with Sakura. As a jounin, she had hundreds of missions to her name, and none of them had been with him until now. Then again, his younger cousin was an excellent shinobi, and having Sasuke, the jinchuuriki, an iryo-nin of Sakura’s caliber, _and_ the Copy Ninja all on one team was probably overkill anyway. He hadn’t been needed, and with the clan doctors insisting on caring for all Uchiha to keep their kekkei genkai secrets, he hadn’t gone to see her at the hospital when he was injured. Now that he knew how good a medic she was, he wouldn’t ever go to a clan doctor again.

It was a bit of a bummer that they hadn't had a chance to actually fight anyone, although he supposed there was always a chance they would run into bandits or missing nin on the way back to Konohagakure, but he doubted it. More than anything, he wanted to see her in battle. The stories he had heard had been too insane to believe, but having seen her chakra control up close, he realized that they were probably all true, and that thought was going to derail him until he ran into a tree because her strength was sexy as hell.

Hatake didn’t talk about his team much, and not at all about _her_ – and he was amused that he hadn’t picked up on the significance of _that_ little detail until Genma’s conversation with Sakura that morning – but he had revealed little bits and pieces during their missions together. How Naruto tended to leap first and think later, and how his rivalry with Sasuke had turned into an odd romance that Hatake seemed to find hilarious. How, no matter how grievous the wound, they always came back whole, if a bit dirty, and that had to be Sakura’s influence at work. The ink splatters that occasionally found their way on Hatake’s clothes had to be from Sai’s creations, and if he thought about it, he _had_ heard Gai complaining about not being able to find Hatake for a challenge despite his being in the village a few times. Shisui figured that Hatake had been spending his time with Sakura, at her house, and that few people knew where it was for that exact reason.

The cute genin girl who had looked at him with big green eyes and a fierce blush every time he called her Cherry-chan had grown up into a sannin-level kunoichi, and he was _sunk_. There was no hope for him now.

Her relationship with Hatake was an unknown, and while she had said she would talk to him about it, it seemed that she had been interested in his offer. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he was happy to share. It didn’t matter if he was sharing her, or if she was sharing him with Hatake, he was fine either way. And wasn’t that an interesting thought, because he had never clarified what he meant and she hadn’t asked, so _was_ that on the table, too? He had flirted with Hatake before, and the man had never spurned him, although he hadn’t said or done anything to encourage it either. Shisui had always thought the Copy Nin was attractive, but given the man’s lack of response he hadn’t thought much more beyond that.

He almost slipped on a branch when Sakura’s voice rang out behind him, a hint of laughter in her words as she called for drinks at the jounin bar the Rusty Kunai after they reached the village. Drinks sounded fine to him, although he wasn’t sure if being drunk was a good idea since all he could think about _sober_ was kissing her again, and it would only get worse with alcohol involved.

Maybe drinks weren’t such a good idea after all.

“You alright up there, Crow?”

Tanuki was laughing at him for sure, and Shisui would have performed the same move he had on the way to the estate if he thought he was capable of it, but with the way his mind was whirling in a hundred different directions, he thought he might fall on his face instead. “All good,” he managed to say, pushing his usual cheerfulness into his tone.

It wasn’t enough, apparently, because Tanuki laughed outright. “The hell did you do to him, Petal?”

“Why do you think _I_ did anything?” was her response, and that really wasn’t very convincing he thought with a soft smile. His ANBU mask had hid his expression after their kiss so she hadn’t seen the probably stupefied look on his face, but she knew that her kiss had shocked him, at the very least, given the fact that it had taken a few precious seconds of her lips on his before he even reacted. Cheeky little minx.

“You two were alone for, what, twenty minutes? He hasn’t said a word since we left. It’s weird.”

“Are you saying I talk a lot?” Shisui asked, wondering if he should take offense to that. Itachi often said he talked too much, but Itachi _never_ talked, so Shisui had never taken him seriously.

“No, but I wouldn’t call you _quiet_ , either.”

Hmm. Still not sure if he should take offense or not.

“Did you miss the sound of my voice? That’s so sweet,” Shisui teased, tilting his head enough so he could blow Tanuki a kiss.

“Cheeky brat.”

The rest of the journey back to Konoha was spent much the same as before, all four of them throwing barbs back and forth, and Shisui unconsciously picked up the pace. No one complained, and by the time he even noticed he had done it, they were at the gates, pausing to wave to the guards before they separated to drop off their packs and change. Shisui took the fastest shower of his life, throwing on his standard jounin uniform and leaving his tanto and harness hanging on the wall. He always felt a little naked without it, but didn’t see the need for it if they were just going to go for drinks.

Drinks that he probably shouldn’t have, but he wanted to spend more time with Sakura before their inevitable parting. And he was obviously a glutton for punishment.

It was too early for the Rusty Kunai to be busy, so Shisui had no trouble snagging a booth. He had no idea when the rest of the team would show, but he had no interest in drinking before anyone else arrived because he knew his own limits. Somehow he managed to have the worst alcohol tolerance despite his fast metabolism, and he wasn’t about to tempt fate now.

The first to arrive was Tenzou, and Shisui happily waved him over as he finally went up to the bar to order a pitcher of beer and four mugs to put on Genma’s tab. Juggling the pitcher and the mugs, he slid them onto the table and plopped down on the bench across from Tenzou before he poured himself a drink.

Tenzou poured himself a full mug and sighed. “I shouldn’t feel this tired after that mission,” he grumbled.

Shisui hummed in agreement, even though his body buzzed with energy. He could certainly sympathize, but he was feeling more antsy than anything else. “We had fun, but the mission itself was pretty boring. Then again, Cherry-chan _did_ say we were only there to look dangerous and pretty.”

“Not sure how I feel about that,” Tenzou said with a wry smile, chakra lining a finger to turn it into a stir stick as he played with his drink.

“Aww, you’re plenty pretty, Tenzou.” Shisui reached across the table to pat Tenzou’s cheek, eliciting a startled laugh from the other man. “It really was like a paid vacation though, wasn’t it?”

“And what does it say about us that we find those boring?” Tenzou lifted his mug of beer and tapped it against Shisui’s in a mocking toast.

“That we’re men of action.” Shisui took a sip and paused, affecting a thoughtful expression. “Or that we’re deeply troubled.”

“Speak for yourself, Pretty Boy. I’m very well adjusted,” Genma said as he snagged a mug and slid into the seat beside Tenzou, who gave him an aggrieved look but moved aside to make room anyway.

“You wish, Jiji,” Sakura chimed in as she dropped into the seat beside Shisui, stealing the full mug Genma had just poured and taking a long drink.

“Oi, Pinky! I just poured that.”

Sakura lifted the mug in a mocking salute. “And I thank you for it.”

Shisui laughed as Genma poured the last mug full of beer and shook his finger at Sakura. She grinned back, completely unrepentant.

“So really, what’d you do to him to make him all quiet earlier?” Genma pointed between them with an accusing finger, and Shisui leaned back against the wall, pulling his leg up on the bench so he could see everyone without turning his head. Sakura lifted a pale brow and leaned against him, one arm resting lightly around his thigh, and he was grateful she didn’t try resting it in his lap or he would have had another problem to deal with.

“If you miss my voice that much, I can make a recording for you, Shiranui,” Shisui said, running his finger over the rim of his mug as Genma rolled his eyes at him. “Would you like me to read you a story? Or recite the shinobi manual?” He straightened and gave Genma a slow and wicked smirk. “Or do you want me to read _Icha Icha_ to you?”

Genma pointed a senbon at him, looking entirely unimpressed. “Quit dodging the question, Pretty Boy.”

Shisui flicked his gaze to Sakura, who was warm and relaxed as she leaned into his leg, amusement curving her pink lips into a tiny smile. Her eyes caught his and she tilted her head slightly, making no move to save him from the unusually nosy Genma. Little minx. She knew exactly why he had been lost in thought. He sighed heavily and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “The little lordling wanted her to be his mistress and wasn’t accepting her answer, so we had to do something to dissuade him.”

Both Tenzou and Genma bristled when Shisui mentioned Murakami Funuke pushing himself on her but their interest piqued when he left what they had done purposefully vague. Shisui sighed internally. He should have known that wouldn’t be enough of an explanation, but before he could open his mouth to explain, Sakura did it for him.

“I kissed him.” She paused, pretty lips turning down in a thoughtful frown. “Sorry, I should have asked if it was okay to use you like that.”

Shisui looked at her for a moment, taking in how sincere her apology was, even as her eyes glinted with mischief in a way that made his cock stir in his pants, and he couldn’t stop the slow grin that formed. “You can use me however you want, Cherry-hime.”

The innuendo dripped from his lips like honey, and the flush that colored her cheeks in response made Genma’s startled laughter and inevitable teasing later totally worth it. He meant every word, and from the way those jade eyes darkened and her lips curved into a tiny smirk, her fingers searing a line down his thigh through his pant leg, it looked like she was more than tempted to take him up on it.

Tenzou visibly relaxed into the seat at that, looking more amused than anything else. “Must have been some kiss.”

“I may have gone a bit overboard,” she admitted, and Shisui hummed noncommittally, but didn’t say anything. He certainly hadn’t been complaining.

He thought Murakami’s silence had been more due to shock in realizing Shisui was even in the room than the kiss itself, but that had certainly been a factor. The kid was clearly not used to being refused, and Shisui thought that if they had stayed any longer, he would have tried to argue his case again simply because an ANBU shinobi couldn’t possibly be better for her than a _lord_. Like that sort of thing even mattered to a woman like Haruno Sakura. Then again, said lord had also set his own dick on fire to kill spiders he had been hallucinating, so really, the man should have expected that reaction. In Shisui’s experience, most women didn’t find stupidity particularly attractive.

Shisui took his time drinking his beer, occasionally reaching out to tug on a lock of Sakura’s hair whenever she leaned into him. During a lull in the conversation, he pulled out his phone and sent a little crow emoji to the number she had provided him. Her phone chimed and she paused before taking another drink from her mug, fingers tapping against the side of his knee in question. He tugged her hair again in answer and she smiled, but didn’t look at him or her phone.

The four jounin traded stories – the ones that weren’t confidential, anyway – over the course of an hour, and when Shisui finally drank the last of his beer, he waved away Tenzou’s attempt to pour him another. Genma protested loudly when Shisui made his excuses, missing Sakura’s warmth the moment she slid out of the booth to let him stand. Once free, he touched her shoulder and leaned down to brush a light kiss over her temple, her scent flooding his nose and making him want nothing more than to bury his face in her neck.

“I’ll see you,” he murmured against her skin, the darker undertone full of promise. His hand slid down her arm and she caught his fingers and gave them a brief squeeze before she let go, her smile warm and affectionate.

“What, no kiss for me, Pretty Boy?” Genma teased. His eyes widened when Shisui shunshined to him and cupped his jaw with a smirk on his lips before he planted a solid kiss right on Genma’s open mouth. Caught between laughter and an indignant squawk, Genma shoved at him and Shisui dodged, laughing before he gave the group a salute and shunshined away.

Once outside the Rusty Kunai, he slowed his pace and headed home at a leisurely stroll. He hadn’t really needed to leave, but the urge to wrap his arms around her and haul her into his lap would only grow if he stayed. The beer had only left him a touch tipsy, not enough to throw his inhibition to the wind, but he wasn’t about to chance it. She was too tempting, and he knew better than to attempt something before she was ready.

Shisui tipped his head back and smiled at the sky. She had his number, and he just had to trust that she would come to him. He was a patient man, and it would be well worth the wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, Team 7 continues to call Tenzou Yamato, even after they find out it isn't his actual name, but everyone else knows him as Tenzou and just thinks that it's a weird nickname. It makes sense in my head, anyway.
> 
> FIRST KISS! 🎉
> 
> The comments on the last chapter made me so happy, thank you so much!!


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